1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors for use in vehicles for interconnecting wire harnesses disposed at door portions, etc. of an automobile and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a conventional structure for interconnecting wire harnesses at automotive door portions by using connectors.
More specifically, at the area where a door b is hingedly fitted to a vehicle body a, connectors cl are attached to the end of a wire harness W on the side of the vehicle body a and fitted in and supported by a connector holder h fixed to a vehicle body side panel P. Extended from inside the door b through a grommetted hole G formed in a door panel P' is a wire harness W' to the end of which are attached connectors c2. The connectors c2 are introduced inside the panel P through a connection hole s formed in the panel P and a grommet i covering the hole so as to be coupled to the connectors c1.
With the above conventional structure, however, it is difficult to confirm from outside, at the time of coupling the connectors c1 and c2, whether or not the connectors c1 are completely fixed to the panel P. In addition, the coupling between the connectors c1 and c2 is apt to get loosened under external forces such as vibrations, lowering the reliability of the product.
Shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is another example of conventional connector used for interconnecting wire harnesses at automotive door portions. A connector d attached to the end of a door side wire harness k as shown in FIG. 15 is coupled with a vehicle body side connector e to connect the wire hareness k with that on the vehicle body side.
The connector d includes a resilient locking arm f formed with a locking projection f1 which serves to lock together the connector d and its mating connector. Inside the space under the locking arm f is arranged a lock-up detector h for confirming whether or not the locking projection f1 completely engages an associated engagement portion g on the mating connector. The lock-up detector h is forwardly movable on completion of the locking by the resilient locking arm f.
The connector d is covered with a waterproof protecting grommet j from its rear side. Consequently, it is required, on completion of the coupling of the connector d with the vehicle body side connector e, that the lock-up detector h be operated from outside the grommet j. As a result, it cannot be directly ascertained by eyes whether or not the lock-up detector h is completely operated.